I, as an introvert, found the idea of two weeks of not going anywhere quite appealing. When the government put the whole country in lockdown I was rather excited. All of my friends were bored and done after the first week, and really, I just didn’t understand. As a homeschooler (and in one of those weird homeschooler families that actually didn’t do much outside the house) I didn’t have to move online for school. I got to just be at home, do my normal school, and never had to think, “Oh yeah, we have to go to such-and-such place today.” As an added bonus, my (adored) aunt had to stay in our basement the whole time because she couldn’t get back to her home in China after the whole country shut down while she was traveling for Chinese New Year. It was fun having her there for so long. She retaught me how to knit, and I would go down to sit and knit with her while we watched things or just talked. It was one of my favorite parts of the year.

But not going anywhere did (eventually) affect me, because, for all of you reading this in a hundred years, outside interactions are important. I was in a big house, with seven other people, so there were people around if I needed a hug, and there were places to escape to when my siblings got too noisy. But I started to miss outside interactions, though I didn’t really realize it till we started going back to church a while later. Even walking into a big sanctuary that only had twenty other people in it, I could feel the difference between worshiping separately and worshiping together. I think Covid has made me actually appreciate the social interactions that before I had just taken for granted.

We spent a lot of time at the pool that summer. It was easy to forget everything happening while I was there, because I was used to there not being many people there, so spending the afternoon with the pool completely to ourselves felt normal. For a little while, I could just relax under the water, floating, in the calm silence. I loved to just lay there, limp and peaceful for as long as I could hold my breath, then stick my head up for a breath of air and go back down. The quiet was my favorite part. With four younger siblings that’s a bit of a commodity.

When I was cold I would swim around fast to warm up, or play games with my siblings. Often, when I was done drifting, I would swim down as fast as I could, then push myself off the bottom to

T

S

R

U

B

out of the water. 

blog post#3 pt two:

In March 2020, I remembered being in school in my first-period health science class doing an assignment on preventing the spread of covid. I was working at Zaxby’s, a fast-food restaurant in Florida, things started changing radically; restaurants were closed for inside dining for a while, but the drive-through was open a lot of places were to go only. Playing sports was difficult, especially for student-athletes. We couldn’t play and get highlights. We couldn’t do what we love. We could work out by going to the gym either the pandemic was that bad. Academically, we weren’t getting that classroom time we needed to our teacher in person, like hands-on things.
Even some people found it difficult to pass their classes. Even some people had trouble focusing on school when so much was happening around them. Many families lost loved ones due to covid 19. many people still had to be quarantined for 14 days after traveling. Some people had to stay away from their elderly family members so they wouldn’t bring them into contact with the virus, and some people couldn’t even see their families because they had the virus. Some people were getting sick and couldn’t come in for work. So, the business was short of staff we could be outside. I feel like something or someone is trying to control the world dangerously, and it’s unnecessary. Going out in public is not the same. We have to wear masks because every store has face-covering required for entry policy it working so far. Still, it’s scary because wearing a mask does really stop you from catching it, but it does help you prevent the spread when visiting someone in the hospital. Even doctors always wear masks for protection. Everyone was shopping for the same things, which caused a shortage of toilet paper, hand sanitizer, disinfection spray, even masks. If your mom is anything like mine, you know, scared of everything and believing everything the news says. My mom was afraid of us leaving the house and returning to bring germs to my baby brother; she got a face-covering required sign on the front door. She even has the hand sanitizer dispensers around the house on the walls. So imagine just going to school one day talking about how to prevent the spread of the virus to doing school online from home in the middle of the year because of the virus. The cases were getting outrageous. Everybody was quarantining everybody has to be cautious going out in public and practice. Continue to practice social distancing staying 6 feet apart, listening to music, and doing school work. I watched Netflix series like Jane the virgin money heist, just things trending on social media. I even started looking at college because, at first, I was thinking about joining the military. Still, this pandemic made me want to become a doctor or nurse in the medical field to help prevent future viruses.

My name is Ahdeshia. When it comes to my interests I’m kind of bipolar, one day i like something and the next day I don’t. Some of the more consistent interests include movies, cooking, and video games. I am a HUGE movie buff when it comes to horror films; I have watched every horror movie you can think of. My favorite horror movie is “IT”. Next, I enjoy cooking for others and seeing their whole face light up when they taste my food. When I’m cooking all my anxiety and worries seen to go away in that moment. My favorite dish that I’ve cooked so far I don’t have a name for it yet but it’s rotini noodles with sautéed mushrooms, spinach, red onions and garlic. Lastly video games, I don’t own a console YET but in the meantime I watch youtubers and other gamers play the games that I’m hoping to play one day. I do play Call of Duty mobile on my phone so that’s progress. 

My goals right now are to finish up college with good grades. I slipped up a little bit when I didn’t go to any classes for a whole week but I can most definitely bounce back and succeed. My career goals are to work as a nurse for Emory. I love helping people and showing my caring side so being a nurse I feel like is a great career choice for me. Later down the rode I plan to join the air force in the medical field. 

The last social experience that I had before I started worrying about the pandemic was going out shopping and getting ready for prom with my friends. My friends and I were on the way home from school in one of my friends car who was the only one driving at that time. It was afternoon during mid February. We went to different stores and malls looking for suits for prom. There were 4 of us total. We were listening to Roddy Rich’s high fashion when it had just came out. We were watching tiktok while it was starting to get very popular that time. Everything was chill and relaxing.

The virus was developing around the world during December 2019 and January 2020, but most of the people in the United States were not that worried about it. I heard about covid on the news but never worried about it. I thought it would be like Ebola and that it will just go away. I actually thought of it as a joke. Little did I know it would ruin my junior and senior year. We were halfway through the week when they just closed the school. I was happy because that means I got to play Fortnite all day. I also just started working that time. Everything was starting to get stressful for me. It was alot to take in with what was happening around me at work, school, and my friends. Everything felt gloomy depressing.

The last vivid memory I have from before quarantine began was a community cookout I went to in early February. It was very far from your average Sunday afternoon, with everyone and their mothers at a park talking, others screaming, children running around, and everyone altogether having a great time. I had never seen so many people in one place before and to this day, I still haven’t. But enough about the people, let’s get a little self-absorbed here. I was pretty well-dressed, well that is, if you ask me, donning a crisp black-and-white striped Adidas shirt, matching Adidas pants, complete with my late white Air Force Ones (may they rest in ashes). Anyone who saw me would think I came to a fashion show or a basketball game, which to say the least, wasn’t too far off. This was due to the fact that the highlight of the day was me and my friends disappearing from the scene to go play basketball at the outdoor court two blocks down, this one game being the most fun I’ve had since. Someday, I hope to have a rematch…because we lost horribly. I don’t want to talk about it.

Now outside the realm of positivity, another very vivid memory I have is waking up on a Saturday morning in December around 12 something P.M. I know this was the time because my dad would’ve been watching football, had it been past 1 PM. But here he was, watching a news report of a city in China named Wuhan with hundreds of millions of people walking around the city wearing masks. I had never seen anything like this before. No one ever believes me when I tell them this story, but I had a strong feeling the plague in Wuhan was bound to reach us someday…and boy was I right. 2 years and a month and a half later, we are still pretty much in the same predicament, we can’t leave home without a mask or some random person might alter the rest of our lives with a single cough. I would say it’s a lot better now, but to be honest, we’ve had so many different versions of the same stupid disease that it’s turning into Invasion Of The Body Snatchers. At this point, we don’t even know what to call it anymore, cause I’m not sure omicron is catchy enough, so let’s stick to COVID-19. But as we hope to have our positive world back, and to never see another mask again besides in Grey’s Anatomy, all we can do is pray that each year is better than the last. Let’s go 2022!

March 12th, 2020.  The last day with no masks and no idea of what was about to come next.  For me, that included the cycle of depression and anxiety quarantine was about to cause.  March 12th was a Thursday I believe.  I was wearing my black, North Face full zipper hoodie and my checkered slip-on vans with my light wash ripped skinny jeans (little did I know that my favorite skinny jeans would be out of fashion the next time I stepped foot into this building). Friday (March 13th) was planned by Dekalb county to be a teacher workday so my class celebrated Mrs. Vanpelt’s baby shower during 7th period on that Thursday before.  This baby shower included the usual; gender-neutral everything (since we didn’t know the gender yet).  There were cupcakes with pink and blue frosting mixed making this interesting tie-dye effect and chick-fil-a nuggets and sandwiches. There was music playing from Taylor swift to Lil baby and of course- us being sophomores in high school needed to play musical chairs.  At least our last day before the beginning of my literal hell was enjoyable.

December 2019 was the beginning of the covid jokes.  Every time someone in class would cough everyone would give the standard response of “ouuuu someone has Covid.” But of course, now it’s not a joke anymore it’s serious.  “Someone in China ate a bat,” was the main ‘fact’ and famous google search at the time. Throughout the beginning of 2020, there was a mixture of nervousness and not caring, from all those around me.  I was worried about the gyms closing and me not being able to make money at my job if this whole covid thing were to become serious.  The events occurring after my teacher’s baby shower were interesting.  “Two weeks off and virtual learning,” was honestly the best thing I was told from Dekalb county.  My Sophomore year was rough. School was getting hard and I love chemistry, don’t get me wrong but Mrs. Ross (my chemistry teacher that year) was not it at all.  It felt like a break that I knew I needed.  If only I knew what was to come ahead I don’t think I would be as happy as I was back then.  

 

 

 

Blog Post #2

Pre Pandemic: Part 1

 

The air was crisp on this March Day. The sun poked out from behind the clouds casting a spectral golden hue over the battered buildings of Little Five Points. I was sharing this moment with my two closest friends from 11th grade. We had been planning to meet up since the start of January, but we pushed it back week after week. Something always came to interrupt our plans of meeting. Knowing now what came after this date, one could say the obstacles in our way were warning signs.

We arrived at Little Five Points earlier than expected; my friends and I were always running late. The parking lot was packed, but good thing I had my trusty little Kia Soul with me. There are tons of varying opinions on the Soul. Some find the car an eyesore. Admittedly the car sticks out like a sore thumb amongst others, but I love that about it. Whether you like it or hate it, it is a dependable car. We pulled up to a multicolored building as the savory aromatic scent of hot pizza filled the vehicle. We had arrived at Savage Pizza.

There was very little talking while our faces were stuffed with the hot greasy slices of cheese pizza. One lonely slice sat on the tray. Our eyes glanced at the remaining piece, then looked back up at one another. We were waiting for someone to volunteer to take the final crispy slice of once hot, now cold cheese pizza. No one did. The silence was now lifted as my friends, and I finally started to converse. Often conversations of current events would be held, for we all cared deeply for it. At the time, the new rapidly spreading virus named Covid 19 had just been declared a Pandemic. However, there was not a worry that crossed our minds. How could this virus possibly make its way over here, to America? Even if it did, there was no way it would impact our lives, we thought. Looking back at that moment, we had no clue what was about to hit a week later.

Like most people, I first heard about covid at the end of 2019 but I did not see it as a threat to my way of life until the beginning of 2020. There had been news reports of the virus spreading in China but I thought it would be no different than the other cases of viruses that had grown to be widely spread across the world. While other parts of the world were experiencing this new disaster I was having the time of my life before I realized the seriousness of this situation. I had been going to a lot of parties with my friends during the holiday season and I was very excited for 2020. To me it was just going to be another year where I get to meet new people, experience new places, and grow with the people I loved being around the most. There was also so many activities and events in the city for young creatives such as myself before the pandemic which I had just started learning about and taking advantage of.

I specifically remember being at a new years party at the end of 2019, and as far as I can remember this is the last time I would enjoy myself and the world without the idea of covid. There was a venue that held a lot of raves and live performances in the city called The Bakery. It was my favorite place to go and have fun with my friends and it had inspired me to get into EDM and rave styles of DJing. I didn’t know it at the time but new years of 2020 would be the last time I ever set foot in that venue. By the end of January of 2020 it was becoming more and more apparent that covid 19 was not limited to just Asia. There had been more and more reports showing up in new countries around the world, each being closer and closer to the US. Around the beginning of February The Bakery had announced that it would be closed indefinitely due to covid 19. It was not until then that I took the pandemic seriously and deep down it felt like I had been robbed of something. As time progressed it felt like the pandemic only continued to rob me of more and more things such as my job, being able to go out, being able to show my face, being able to DJ events, etc. By the March of 2020 I felt miserable and I would have done anything to be able to relive the year of 2019, and sometimes I still do feel that way.

  March 2020 was when I started worrying about the covid pandemic.  Some time around March 22, we had to shelter in place.  I was with my dad, my stepmom, and my little siblings from that time until June 24, 2020.  Stores and restaurants were shutting down and people were losing their jobs.  I was not able to go out to dinner or hang out with any of my friends.  I was really sad about it.  In April, stores and restaurants reopened, bringing the cases back up when the curve was flattened.  People had to wear masks and practice social distancing.  I was worried that the pandemic might go on forever.

  In April, May, and June 2020, I played with my little siblings.  I also went on walks with them and my stepmom.  I also watched YouTube videos.  On June 25, 2020, I went back with my biological mom and my younger brother.  To keep working out, I took walks around the neighborhood and I walked to a lake near my house.  I also watched more YouTube videos.  I almost didn’t get to do any swimming that summer, but on August 1, we went to Lake Lanier where there was a little beach area.  I was supposed to start college around September 2020, but my mom said it was too dangerous due to covid.  I really wanted to meet up with my extended family for Thanksgiving, but the covid cases were too high.  I also hoped to meet up with my cousins, my uncles, and my grandmother for Christmas, but it wasn’t safe.  When 2021 began, I had the feeling that things would get better, but that will be discussed in my next blog.

Works Cited

https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/covid-timeline

Before everything happened, I remember going to school like usual. Same routine, waking up in the morning, getting ready to go to school (I was in high school, my junior year). Most of the time I was always in a hurry, running to the bus stop before I was late. Sometimes I did not eat breakfast. This was one of those days I was going to miss my bus. It was so exhausting how I had to run to the school bus. Once I was at school, I went to meet with my friend before class because we did not have any classes together, so it was the only time we got to see each other. Then I went to each class throughout the day, which were sometimes boring, but my art class was the best. It was fun. We did a lot of drawing there and I like drawing. In my other classes, I was always quiet, waiting for the bell to ring. I remember being home with my family. My mom was cooking African food (attieke and fish). One of my favorite foods. I talked and laughed with my sister without worries. Then I went into my room, listened to music and did my homework. I remember talking to my friends and my family back home (lvory coast), we always talk on “WhatsApp.”

 

To be frank, I was not informed at all, I did not know anything about what was going on till march… I heard about it at school, people were talking about some kind of sickness that was contagious. Afterwards, I heard that the virus was in Georgia. Till then I didn’t take it seriously. One of my classmates in my art class was being extra careful about everything. I thought he was doing too much. I tried to be informed about it, I searched on the internet and when I realized how serious it was, I started being extra careful. People were saying all kinds of things on the news, and it was even scarier. Everywhere on the internet, people were saying this and that. I did not watch the news because it was too much. The craziest thing was how fast it was spreading all over the world.